City of God is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name that was first published in 1997. The setting takes place in the 1960s when, in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, two boys grew up in a neighborhood where different lives. The story is told through the eyes of Buscape, the son of a poor fisherman who dreams of one day becoming a photographer. Its story chronicles the violence and corruption that surrounds the city and the rise and fall of one of the city's most notorious bosses, Li`l Ze. As war rages on the streets, the only way to escape this life of violence for Buscape is to expose its brutality to the world through its images. Along the way, the lives of others are brought into perspective as their stories intersect with unfolding events.